I could use some advice from towing experts.

[Davexxxx]

"None of the other numbers in the tow guides matter, because payload is the one you run out of first."

Thats an exaggeration obviously. The footnotes in the tow guides are critical and it matters what tow package you have, or have one at all, weight distribution hitch etc. But all the car cos. push the big max tow numbers and hide in a tiny footnote, that its for a very specifically configured truck, driven by a guy the size of a horse jockey. Not your truck, your stuff and you.

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[Snakebitten]

I towed for years with the infamous Ford 7.3 Powerstroke.
225 HP
550Lbs Torque

Dually/5ths with that motor were a common sight on the interstate in those days.

The Powerboost makes lunch of those numbers. It can yank the 7000-8000lb trailer up the grade with amazing aplomb. That's not an issue.

But pulling that load is VERY different than carrying that load. The truck is doing both. The Powerboost can pull more than it can carry.

It's towing capacity isn't the limiting factor. It's Payload capacity will be exceeded with towing capacity to spare.

I personally think with careful attention to "setup", that Airstream is doable and you can enjoy a relatively comfortable experience. But I also personally don't think the truck is properly equipped from the factory for what I'm describing. It's a bit undersprung/underdamped for max Payload.

 

[Davexxxx]

One question for anyone - how does a weight distribution hitch change anything here? or does it? I thought with one I could have a much higher tongue weight?

Nope. It counts against payload but increases tow capacity.

Bottom of pg 9

https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/conten...cpo/pdf/2023_Ford_F-150_Towing_Info_Dec16.pdf

 

[dklyonsjr]

I have zero experience with this, but you're towing that set-up at 70mph?

Yep when the road allows for it.
I didn’t mention payload - my Lariat is rated for 1774 lbs and I’m coming in several hundred pounds below that. The weight distribution isn’t wound up too stiff and my rear only drops about 3/4 inch when pulling mostly dry.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

Do not buy a Powerboost with towing intentions unless you're talking about dragging your jet skis or snowmobiles around locally. If you just have to have the F150, then get the 3.5l Ecoboost. And then don't cringe at the towing mpg because it'll suck. Been there. Done that. My 2016 F150 King Ranch 3.5l Ecoboost headed from Florida to Michigan with one of my cars for the Woodward Dream Cruise.

 

[Snakebitten]

Technically a weight distribution hitch can transfer more weight from the tongue to the trailer axle(s) than it weighs itself.

So it could possibly reduce Payload by more than its own weight.

They can be a remarkable influence for dialing in chassis dynamics. But I suspect some percentage of them are rolling down the road not being utilized to their potential?

 

[Snakebitten]

FYI

@Jus Cruisin had a really lousy experience with his Powerboost and he moved on to a GM truck. I can't fault him for that.
But he still enjoys hanging around here so he can take shots at the Powerboost when the opportunity presents.

The ProPower generator would kind of be a waste if all the Powerboost could tow was a jet ski.
There are many threads and fantastic posts on this forum with scenic pictures of the Powerboost mated to an RV boondocking.

They are a match made in heaven for many.

 

[Vin]

...Are we going to have a problem with towing efficiently with the numbers below?
...Am I missing anything?
Thanks in advance!

"...Are we going to have a problem with towing efficiently with the numbers below?"
"Thanks in advance!"

No.
You're welcome.

Would the diesel be "better"? Yes.
Does that mean the the F150 is inadequate? No.

 

[Davexxxx]

They are a match made in heaven for many.

I am hoping so. We just ordered our trailer and its supposed to be here mid month.

Lots of work prepping the parking spot, trimming trees, getting gear etc.

I'm not worried about weight, I dialed that in before ordering the truck. I know the limitations to stay inside of. But I am wondering about the tires. On a 300 ish mile trip last weekend, with about half of it on twisty turnies, I pushed the truck harder than normal to get a feel for the limits and I have to say it felt a little soft. in the turns.

My truck came with the 18" Goodyears.

They have mixed reviews. Good ride, quiet, good traction and mileage but prone to punctures and some have mentioned softness in towing.

So, depending on what I find in the coming months, I'll be perusing the changes you made to yours to improve that.

I won't be going radical. No E rated tires, because I don't want to give up the qualities named above but I'm open to tweaks.

 

[Davexxxx]

They can be a remarkable influence for dialing in chassis dynamics. But I suspect some percentage of them are rolling down the road not being utilized to their potential?

That, in part, is why I went with WeighSafe.

Once the basic measurements are entered into the app, you can dial it in exactly via the gauge.

Its even easy enough to tweak it from trip to trip, depending on your loading.

Put the new tongue weight in, keep all the others and adjust to the new distributed weight number.

 

[Aron]

I hesitate to jump in here as everyone has an opinion and most will make valid points. The following is just my opinion and it is no more valid than anyone else's on this forum and probably less valid than some.

Towing capacity isn't a problem for these trucks at all. The issue is payload as @bgalakazam highlights. This is where you need to focus.

If yours is 1288lb as indicated above then with the data provided

Trailer wt = 13% x 6000 lbs = 780lbs *
Wt dist hitch = 100lbs
Passengers = 300lbs

*Don't use trailer estimate. For stability it is recommended you try to get about 13% of trailer wt on your truck distributed properly front to back.

Total is then 1180 lbs which is under your max by 100 lbs. So as long as you don't have anything in the truck or accessories added after build you will are under max.
Most will say you can go a bit over and still be fine (I am not one of those but will say before I understood this I was over on my old truck by a fair bit and I had no trouble - I was careful in my new truck to max the payload). If you aren't going far, you can run with half full gas tank as payload limits assume full tanks. Powerboosts have lower payload but on flip side the truck is heavier which helps with stability and many of the components that are in the MaX tow option for non powerboosts trucks come std in your truck.

The other rule of thumb (will be challenged for sure) is that you should keep your tow load to ~70% of tow limit. Which you are under.

Now the length. Again lots of opinions here but anything under 30ft is no problem for these trucks especially powerboosts again imho. 30-35f becomes dicey IMHO depending where you are pulling it (I won't go much over 30ft myself). Many with the right experience would feel comfortable going above these which is fine and certainly depends on comfort level. Again you are well under where most people would say the limit is.

So if you get a good wt distribution hitch, manage vs the payload limit, you should love how your truck will tow though depends on your comfort level.

I have a 1850 payload, max tow, 3.5l EB and pull a 7000lbs total, 30ft total trailer with absolutely no issue. I typically keep it under 65mph and will slow down further in higher winds. I love the 3.5l vs my old 5.4l engine for towing. I do hope I don't have turbo fail or my max tow axle bolt shear off though ?.
Good luck with all the advice you are likely to get.

I second all of what Northguy says here.

I have a 29' travel trailer (24' enclosed space with 5' of A-frame), weighing 6500lb, and I have no problems pulling it through the mountains with my truck (similar setup as @Nasto --Max Tow Powerboost 6.5' bed). I just towed it 2500 miles around the northeast a few weeks ago, and the truck had no issues, even in mountains. (Yes, the east coast mountains aren't as high as the Rockies, but the road grades are just as steep. I've done lots of towing out west, and it's comparable.)

Now, I'd be nervous about trying to go 70mph up a steep mountain...but not because I think the powerboost engine couldn't do it; it's because I don't want to be going 70mph when I start going down the other side. Engine braking on the powerboost exists, but it's not robust--it helps comfort levels if you don't need to use it as much in the first place by going a bit slower in the mountains.

@Jus Cruisin is right that if you want to be towing at 75mph in the flat lands, your gas mileage will suffer more than a comparable diesel. I was getting 6-8mph when I was really pushing those speeds. But when I slowed it down to 55-60, I was right back to 12+ mph.

My Powerboost is perfect for towing a similar size trailer--I have a family of 5, so I really need to use all of the 1800lb payload that I have, since the trailer tongue weight is probably around 900lbs and I have 800lb of people. If it's just a couple of folks, that alone will make it quite a bit easier to deal with payload issues. If you can, keep all of your "gear" in the trailer so that you're truck is only carrying ~15% of that weight.

 

[Samson16]

My neighbor, who has decades of trailer towing experience, tows his 27’ DFOX with a 1-ton V8 diesel (non-Ford). He said that allows him to tow it anywhere, especially to maintain high speeds up severe upgrades.

I mentioned that my wife and I are looking to travel once retirement hits in 3 years and that we have looked at Airstreams (her dream) and have probably settled on a 24 ft. Flying Cloud.

He looked at my 2022 F-150 PowerBoost and said “yeah, it’ll tow it and everyone and all the data sheets say it will, but it won’t be very good at it, especially on hills where you could really strain the engine.”

Now, I didn’t go into the fact that the Gen 14’s are different from what he thinks of an F-150, and I didn’t go into the Max Tow Package, PB engine, etc., but seeing that we bought this truck on the assumption it could tow a fairly small trailer, am I missing something here? Are we going to have a problem with towing efficiently with the numbers below?

Here's the hard data for my VIN and also the Flying Cloud 24’.

• Vehicle Capacity: F-150 PB 6.5 ft Bed w/Max Tow Package:
• GVWR: 7,350 lbs.
• GCWR (F-150, Trailer and payload) 18,400 lbs.
• Airstream GVWR: 6,000 lbs.
• Tongue weight: 500 lbs.
• GCWR of F-150 + Airstream Flying Cloud 24’ + Added Payload weight of occupants, etc.: 14, 350 lbs.

18,400 lbs. max GCWR minus actual GCWR of 14,350 lbs. = 4,050 lbs.


I come in under the max weight by over 4,000 lbs.


Am I missing anything? Anyone with real-world towing experience who can shed some light, especially with an Airstream?


Thanks in advance!

Your PB was made for that trailer size!

 

[Aron]

I am hoping so. We just ordered our trailer and its supposed to be here mid month.

Lots of work prepping the parking spot, trimming trees, getting gear etc.

I'm not worried about weight, I dialed that in before ordering the truck. I know the limitations to stay inside of. But I am wondering about the tires. On a 300 ish mile trip last weekend, with about half of it on twisty turnies, I pushed the truck harder than normal to get a feel for the limits and I have to say it felt a little soft. in the turns.

My truck came with the 18" Goodyears.

They have mixed reviews. Good ride, quiet, good traction and mileage but prone to punctures and some have mentioned softness in towing.

So, depending on what I find in the coming months, I'll be perusing the changes you made to yours to improve that.

I won't be going radical. No E rated tires, because I don't want to give up the qualities named above but I'm open to tweaks.

If it helps, my truck came with similar tires (18" Hankooks). They may be a bit soft for towing, but it's not bad enough for me to consider early replacement. Once they wear out, I might think about a stiffer tire--it'll make towing a bit better, but everyday driving worse.

 

[JExpedition07]

An F-150 is perfectly adequate for that weight class, but for me it depends on how often the truck spends with the trailer. The 7.3L Gas V8 and 6.7L “Scorpion” Turbo Diesel in the Super Duty are built for a lot more severe duty than any F-150 engine. They have larger bores, larger bore spacing, and larger cooling jackets with beefy cast iron and CGI blocks.

For example, my 2023 F-150’s 5.0L V8 400 HP/410 lb ft @4,250 rpm lay waste to my dads 2016 F-250’s 6.2L V8 385 HP/ 405 lb ft @4,500 numbers. My 5.0 will run up a mountain faster than his 6.2 with a trailer in tow, but it certainly won’t do it cooler. His 6.2 has a nice lazy 9.8:1 compression with port injection, my 5.0 is running a high 12:1 compression with direct injection. The 5.0 creates a lot more heat with the more intense combustion event every other stroke. Higher power and torque does not equate to a better tow machine. An engine that stays cool and isn’t hard on the oil is better for long service durations. It’s always a trade-off.

For my occasional towing of my 20’ Four Winns I’ll gladly take the extra power and efficiency my 5.0 offers for a daily driver. If I towed my boat every weekend/planned to buy a larger one soon and didn’t keep it in a slip I may have bought an HD. That’s the type of stuff you think about imo.

 

[Davexxxx]

If it helps, my truck came with similar tires (18" Hankooks). They may be a bit soft for towing, but it's not bad enough for me to consider early replacement. Once they wear out, I might think about a stiffer tire--it'll make towing a bit better, but everyday driving worse.

I've not made any decisions but am thinking about Sumo Springs.

Should help with roll a little, without sacrificing daily ride and is a simple bolt on process.

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